One last meeting
by Impossible Love a Jinko fan
Summary: Just a possible last meeting between Kosaki and Raku now that the ending of the manga and the resolution seem inevitable and obvious. I've added a Marika chapter, because she's awesome as well.
1. Kosaki

The wind was soft on her face, but it made her feel her own tears, falling slowly trough her cheeks, she was smiling and crying deeply at the same time, at times like this she loved her secret place more than anything, she could be alone, only now she understood every little thing.

The whole story was already written, in her heart Kosaki knew what was going to happen but her heart suffered contemplating the path laying in front of her feet.

At a certain moment everything might had been different…if only she was braver.

Yes, if she coulda been brave enough to declare her feelings to Ichijou-kun, in the end this was all some short of punishment to her cowardice and how could she expect a different result…wasn't she obliged to help Chitoge by the promise the two girls did some time ago?

And only Ruri-san knew of her feelings, Chitoge and Ichijou-kun, the rest of the gang were in the dark…except for Haru, Kosaki smiled thinking of her sister's reaction to all these new events, but soon enough her smile felt a little too bitter too keep.

She was still crying when the presence of someone else made her feel watched.

Of course, there was someone who was going to look for her right there after the whole scene happened.

-Onodera are you ok?-His voice could still melt her heart but now a painful ache pierced her chest as well.

-Oh Ichijou-kun what are you doing here?-She answered trying in vain to keep her tears away.

-You're not ok Onodera, I couldn't let you go alone like this could I?-He nswered still so sweet, still so lost.

-You have to Ichijou-kun.-Oh! How she wished she coulda felt this strenght before, many days before when the dice were not yet on the table.-You need to go back to Chitoge, you and her have a lot of talk to do, after all the false love is no more, at least it's not false anymore.

She smiled and felt something broken inside of her.

-We played a tragedy here after all-she said to herself as the wind hitted her hair once more.

She could feel that even now he wished to clean her tears from her face, but it was all too late for that.

-You will go and keep writing your story with Chitoge I think and you could be really happy when everything's said and done, there is more in her than meets the eye…you already love her after all.

-O…Onodera.-As usual Raku couldn't make his way around words with her but this time it was for a different reason.

-To be honest with you Ichijou-kun I provoked these tears to myself, so there is nothing you can do to help it, my silence so to speak is the thing making me cry right now, my silence and my lies.-She felt a strange force moving inside of her, one that could be called dark even. Raku didn't really answered so she kept talking- I lied to you after all, to you and about you more times than I can remember, even Haru confessed she loved someone back in the festival but I couldn't…I was afraid and there is a price to pay to do such things Ichijou-kun.

She saw him right in the eyes.

-I was more than a little inlove with you, but I'm not saying this as a confession, it would be unfair for Chitoge, I couldn't call myself her friend if I made a move on you, I'm just telling you because if this remains within me, this silence will wither me, it might kill me Ichijou-kun, it might become inside of me a thing of pain and even dark and I don't want it, because my love for you was a beautiful thing and I better let go of it before it corrupts itself, and this is a good place don't you think? We had good moments here as friends, because you've been a friend like I never thought I could have one…in the end all of the moments we had together I will treasure them as something special, ours will be a story unwritten jointed here and there with the beautiful adventures we had, but now you will go and be with Chitoge and don't you dare to think for a minute about me, our story will die with the light of this day just as it reached it's climax long ago, we will walk separate paths but I know you will be a nice memory in mine and I hope I too are a nice moment in yours but nothing more…

She couldn't fight back the tears anymore, she collapsed but he prevented her from falling with his arms.

-An unwritten story.-He repeated to himself.-Onodera.

-Yes Raku, no, Ichijou-kun, just a beautiful story that was supposed to end like this, but even if it didn't end where I wished…and I've already told you why such a course happened…even then I don't regret it I insist, I came to Bonyari looking for you but I defined little by little what and whom I could be, so I found myself if not you within this time, youth has to be an amazing age, full of wonder and thanks to you and Chitoge-san, Ruri and Tachibana and Tsugumi too I indeed will keep the most valuable memories of my youth, that I do not regret. I was not the girl of the promise anyway, so it was never supposed to be me at your side…even if the promise girl was a tragedy of a different kind…no, more precisely because that was a tragedy too I think you deserve to go and have a happy ending now Ichijou-kun, you have a kind heart and I do know with all my being that you deserve such, my dear friend.

At this point Raku was crying too, the memories of their time together burning through his eyes and his skin, he always thought of her, he thought of her too much and acted too little and eventually the false love indeed changed the game.

The sounds of insects all around was interrupted by steps, not the kind of far away steps and city sounds but very present and near steps, two pairs of those.

Ruri and Haru arrive when the sun had dissapeared and the light of the day was definitely dying all around town.

-You have to go Ichijou.-one of the girls said.-We are here, we will take care of Kosaki.

-What a fool senpai! I told you that if you ever made my sister cry you will pay, but I can wait, go and do what has to be done and in any other day I will make you pay for the tears of my big sis.

Raku knew they were right, and he walked away from the secret place of Kosaki Onodera, leaving only three shadows, and only one of those shadows had a bright in herself.

He would never see Kosaki again but he didn't knew such thing in that moment, he left her as a shadow in a summer night and went to see the Princess, not far from there Tsugumi was waiting for him.

-What happened to Onodera-san? Is she ok?-Tsugumi asked.-At any rate we need to go back to Ojou ASAP.

-Onodera will be fine.-Raku answered, and even if he was going convinced to Chitoge he knew a little part of his heart wasn't going to be fine in a long while, probably never…


	2. Marika

She woke up suddenly and just like that she could feel herself and the things surrounding her, mostly she could feel pain, needles in her arms, and something connected to her face, a burning fever, strange sounds, blips and mechanical sounds, slowly the memories came back to her, before the light hitted her eyes that were slowly opening...

And the memories brought a different kind of pain, the soft skin of her cheek could feel tears streaming down slowly.

She was Marika Tachibana and she had lost, all of her life she prepared to fight the greatest battles and now as she could feel herself chained to an hospital bed and alone with a pain inside of her of a very different kind...she understood that she had lost both battles in the end.

First she could only see light, some short of painful light coming from inside her hospital room and then some short of softer light coming from a window, it took a while before her eyes got used to it and the image cleared, she tried to smile at the clear sunny day out there but couldn't, some noise got her attention, amongst the blips and the click clacks and the voices from the hospital out there, there was something scratching out of the building, scratching over metal and concrete...perhaps scratching a tree not far from the window, she closed her eyes for a moment, had no idea how long she had been sleeping or sedated...it was clearly not the same, yet she felt so tired, so damn tired, slowly breathing, the scratching somehow came closer and hitted the window, it surprised her, so she opened her eyes and wanted to move, but she had no strenght to do so.

This time she could see clearly a little faster as a long silhoutte entered through the window, she spent enough time obsessed with the boy who possesed such an outline, slowly, sofly she moved her hand towards her mouth and found it was free from oxigen mask, though there was something in her nose.

The first thing she did was smile, at that point his eyes were already fixed on her.

"Ah Raku-sama you've come to see me" she managed to articulate "Was it Chitoge's idea once more? I'm afraid I'm not presentable for you right now" she had to breathe harder after saying that.

"You don't need to force yourself Marika, I'm here just to see you" he started the after a small pause he answered "and it wasn't Chitoge's idea, though I come with the well regards of Chitoge and Onodera, Tsugumi, Yui-nee, Shuu and Ruri too"

"I don't see why you're here Raku-sama, it is not your friendship that I wanted, and..." she had to breathe once more before finishing "Right now your visit makes me as much good as it brings me back pain"

"I'm sorry it came down to this Marika, to be honest I hoped you could see that you're not alone, and even if you never wanted our friendships that's exactly what you got, I've also realized I can tell you things...that even if I was forced to turn down your proposal, you should know that I was flattered all along, in fact I was so dazzled by the anomaly that someone like you could really like me...that I never acted accordingly, even if I should, I figure I should ask for your pardon, because once and twice again I broke your heart even with the smallest of acts and words...even if you proved to all of us that you were stronger than anyone...that doesn't make my actions fair"

Marika smiled, she tried to speak but in the end couldn't do more than whisper "Raku-sama".

"You don't need to talk Marika, I already told you so, I came with somethings from your house that Honda said could help you, yes Marika Honda-san helped this little interrumption against your mother wishes, you're recovering after all, but recovery can feel pretty lonely, she said you would love to have somethings with you..."As he said this, Raku removed a backpack and opened to bring out some items.

The first one was a small wooden mark with a children's draw inside, the draw was that of a house with wings and legs, the second one was a small sound recorder, the third one was a bunch of letters, Raku took the bunch and the recorder and opened a small buro at the side of the bed to put them, as for the small drawing, he saw it for a while.

"I don't think I really need the recorder anymore Raku-sama" the girl managed to say. "As for the drawing...that will be my gift to you since it was your drawing all along..." she pause with a smile "I once wished to give you a house, but it seems I'll only be able to give you back the drawing I made when you were describing me your future house..." she moved slowly her arm to reach the draw and saw it dearly for a while "Yes, it has to be yours, I can feel a little of my strenght coming back so I figure it's not a complete waste that you're here Raku-sama, to be honest it could never be" then she closed her eyes trying to remember something "As for the letters, I'll make Honda read them to me later, send everyone my regards until I can go and thank them personally"

They both smiled and a silence crept in the room...a silence interrupted by blips and click clacks but a relatively painful silence nonetheless.

"I did some unfair things in my time...love is war they said Raku-sama" Marika finally broke the silence "Last Christmas you went out with Onodera to a date...and you held hands" Raku felt a little stranged at the idea of Marika seeing them amidst the Mall. "Oh no! I wasn't there Raku-sama, I just know because she loved that part, I listened to her sister saying that once...now perhaps I'm hurting you a little, I hope you can forgive me someday for that, indeed Onodera and you held hands and she was all the better for that...could you do that for me just this once Raku-sama? Could you hold my hand?"

Raku was still a little impressed by the revelation, by the memory of Onodera, by the petition of Marika, still daring but much more serious than all the other times, Marika's flame was still burning, yet her body looked fragile, weak, there was still beauty to be found on her face even in this inconvenient state.

"Yes Marika" He said and clumsily held her hand.

"I'm scared Raku-sama" She said as soon as she felt his hand and held him strongly "Thinking about you, about school, how to beat Chitoge-san, work and all those things...they kept mah mind away from thinking about this, but now, now the feelings, the residual pain, mah own body reminds me a little too hard and Imma scared"

Raku looked at her eyes and smiled deeply, Marika couldn't help but be a little blushed by all of it, it was like when he took her away from the scenario in the School Play, but this time it was for real. It wasn't love not in the way she always wanted, but it was something genuine, some deep wish to protect her.

"I'm so glad ye came to see me for yerself but ya cannot protect me Raku-sama" she said slowly, she could feel the gaze of the boy staying away from her face, soon she could feel his face unto her hand, and tears were streaming down his face as well, Raku was crying for her, she felt a conflict in the bottom of her heart, she was so happy that finally he was there entirely for her, without false love between them...they had a promise after all, but he came not because of the promise, no, he came just for her...that was a good enough thought to held unto...held unto as hard as they were holding hands right now, she even could swear he kissed her hand, like a servant would kiss a landlord, the only kind of fidelity he could have to her, he was from a family of outlaws and she came from government law enforcement blood, they coulda been enemies but in the end they were friends, there was some kind of salvation in that "You can't even safe me as ya would want to Raku-sama...though as ah can tell ye already did" she decided to breathe slowly after saying that, and held the hand of Raku a little softer, before closing her eyes she saw the back of his head strongly but gently holding her left arm, and after she closed her eyes she could still listen to the agitated breathing of the boy crying, trying to calm himself but failing to do so, she could feel some of the marks in his hands, kitchen cuts here and there, the hardness product of working with animals, the softness of his own youth mixed only in that little space with her own softness, the wet skin beneath his eyes, the heat of his breath as she slowly began to lose the heat of hers.


End file.
